


Holiday on Ice

by arochilton



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Christmas Willton fluff to warm those cold winter days when all i do anyway is cry over them, M/M, season one-era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-01 19:33:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2785142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arochilton/pseuds/arochilton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frederick Chilton has an extra ticket to Holiday on Ice. On a limb, he invites Will, not expecting him to say yes.<br/>He does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this passage from The Silence of the Lambs, chapter 21:
> 
> "I'm acting on my instructions, Dr. Chilton. I have the U.S. Attorney's night number here. Now please, either discuss it with him or let me do my job."  
> "I'm not a turnkey here, Miss Starling. I don't come running down here at night just to let people in and out. I had a ticket to Holiday on Ice."  
> He realized he'd said a ticket. In that instant Starling saw his life, and he knew it.  
> She saw his bleak refrigerator, the crumbs on the TV tray where he ate alone, the still piles his things stayed in for months until he moved them--- she felt the ache of his whole yellow-smiling Sen-Sen lonesome life--- and switchblade-quick she knew not to spare him, not to talk on or look away. She stared into his face, and with the smallest tilt of her head, she gave him her good looks and bored her knowledge in, speared him with it, knowing he couldn't stand for the conversation to go on.

 Frederick Chilton was a lonely man.

During his daily routines, it was harder to notice said seclusion through the bustle of activity at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Amidst meetings, therapy sessions, and schemes to boost his already inflated ego even further, Dr. Chilton did not usually think about loneliness. He didn’t mind that he had no one to share his life with, didn’t care that he slept alone and woke up alone in his large white house, didn’t worry about breezing through the rest of his life on his own. He was above that, and personally, he believed that he didn’t need it to live a full, relatively happy life.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

Frederick had purchased two tickets to _Holiday on Ice_ three months prior to the show, when he had been under the impression that his family would be visiting over the winter months.  Although he hadn’t spoken to his father in nearly twenty years (Frederick’s unsuccessful attempts in medical school had, according to his dad, brought shame upon the entire family), his sister wanted to visit for several days so he could finally meet her kids. He had wanted to take his niece to the show, which he had been going to for many years. It was a Christmas tradition for him, and he wanted to pass on that tradition with the only family who still spoke to him, although their reunions were sporadic.

However, that was before Frederick had received a phone call three weeks ago from his sister, informing him that “something else” had suddenly come up and they wouldn’t be able to visit after all. It was okay, Frederick told himself. He hadn’t seen his family in seven years anyway. He shouldn’t have even expected them to follow through.

Now, the only problem was what could be done with the extra ticket. Granted, Frederick usually attended the performance alone, but he did not want to waste a perfectly good ticket to a perfectly good show. He considered placing an ad to sell it online, but in the end, he didn’t want to deal with the hassle.

These were the worries that plagued the mind of Frederick Chilton among the thoughts of endless therapy sessions, interrogations, and various other obligatory activities required of the Chief of Staff.

Today, however, Will Graham would be doing the interrogating. The man had called the hospital several days ago to notify Frederick that he would be stopping in to pay another visit to Abel Gideon. At first, Frederick had been mildly irritated that he had to reschedule his weekly appointment with Abel, since Will apparently just _had_ to pick a Wednesday to do his investigating, but the prospect of seeing the agent just about made up for it.

He was intrigued by Will, to say the least. He had yet to convince the man to speak to some of the staff—or to Frederick himself for that matter—regarding Will’s so-called empathy that made him famous among psychiatrists near and far. It was indeed a fight on Frederick’s part to stay calm and collected around the man. Despite Will’s inward disposition around Frederick and general indifference to him, he stirred something inside the psychiatrist that he had not felt for many years. He tended to dismiss it as a professional curiosity, but each time Will visited the hospital, Frederick felt this feeling grow more and more.

It started out as a tingle in his chest that occurred the first time he laid eyes on the man. Will was beautiful, there was no denying it. With his soft curls and bright eyes, from the sprinkling of scruff that dusted his jaw to his soft pink lips, the empath was an alluring sight. When he spoke, Frederick felt a tug somewhere in his heart that made him feel like a teenager with a hopeless crush. He found himself using every opportunity he could to find ways to speak to the man. He went out of his way to corner him in his office whenever he dropped by for interviews. He tried to extend phone conversations to more than simple business talk. Frederick also spent a large amount of time pondering Will’s empathy and how brilliant it made him. He wanted nothing more than to learn more about it, to study the man as both a psychiatric subject and a friend.

On the day in question, Frederick dressed himself in his green double-breasted suit, knotting his beige tie just a little too tightly around his neck due to his shaking hands. He should not have been this, well, _excited_ about the prospect of speaking to Will Graham. Nevertheless, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling.

He was watching from the window when saw Will’s car pull up in front of the hospital. Frederick started to pace back and forth in his office, overcome by nerves he could not pinpoint the origin of. Will walked into the building, moving briskly, obviously not wanting to stop and talk to the chief of staff.

“Will!” Frederick called after the agent as he rushed by the office. “Do you have a moment?”

Will turned around. “Not really, Dr. Chilton.” His voice was steady, thankfully not carrying any hint of annoyance, but not stanch either.

“Perhaps after you complete your interview with Dr. Gideon?” Frederick asked, attempting to avoid sounding like a pleading child but not succeeding too well.

“We’ll see,” Will responded noncommittally, turning his back on Frederick and continuing walking towards the orderlies, who opened the gate for him and supplied him with a visitor’s badge.

Frederick wasn’t surprised at how Will treated him. He was beyond used to the aggressive indifference he received daily from patients, employees, and fellow psychiatrists. Frederick was despised by some, ridiculed by others, and ultimately overlooked by most. However, no matter what sorts of opinions most people held of him, he relied on the belief that it was better to be an abhorrent psychiatrist than a pitiful surgeon.

Will took a hell of a long time interviewing Gideon. Frederick was recording the session, but he was too captured by the hope that he might be able to talk to Will to listen at the current moment. Nerves swam in his stomach again. He fidgeted with the gold tie bar decorating his tie, unclipping it and clipping it again several times a minute.

When Frederick heard distinctive footfalls approaching his office, he nearly fell off his chair. He didn’t want to act this way, but he simply couldn’t contain himself around Will. The agent was so fascinating, so intriguing; Frederick couldn’t do anything but succumb to him.

There was a knock on the open door. “Dr. Chilton?” Will poked his head in the door, those dark curls resonating about his face in a coiled halo.

“Hello, Will. Please come in.” Frederick smirked to himself, standing up with satisfaction as Will approached, looking confused.

“Why did you want to see me?” Will asked, seemingly wanting to get straight to the point so he could leave as soon as possible.

“I wanted to talk,” Frederick replied. “We’re colleagues in a sense, are we not? Friendly dialogue is in no sense out of the question.”

“I suppose so,” Will reasoned, although he did not sound too convinced. The man was not one for small talk. He always strove to get straight to the point, so Frederick was thankful he had at least agreed to stay this long. “What’s on your mind, doctor?”

Frederick fidgeted a little, hoping it went unbeknownst to Will. “The holidays are coming.” It was a cryptic statement when said out loud, Frederick realized after he had spoken.

“Indeed,” Will replied, voice remaining mostly evasive.

“Do you have any plans?” Frederick asked, attempting not to sound too intrigued.

“Not really,” Will told him. “Most likely a case will turn up, and I’ll have to work, so yeah, I try not to make any standing arrangements.” He was silent for a sweeping moment, his eyes darting around the room before settling on Frederick’s chin, clearly averting his eyes. “How about you?”

It was a matter of circumstance and timing, this brave question that burst forth from Frederick Chilton’s mouth. He had simultaneously been wanting to ask it and begging himself not to.

“I, uh,” he started. “I have an extra ticket to _Holiday on Ice_ this weekend. Would you like to go?”

Will stared at him, face unreadable. “Um, with you?”

“Yes,” Frederick replied. God, even his first date hadn’t been this awkward. He shifted his weight onto one foot, waiting for Will to say no.

To his supreme disbelief and genuine surprise, he didn’t.

“Sure.”

The affirmative answer tumbled out of Will’s mouth like a prophecy, music to Frederick’s ears.

Maybe he and Will could get along after all.


	2. A Realization

It wasn’t a date.

Will Graham knew it wasn’t a date. After all, how could it be? He barely even knew Frederick Chilton. This was simply a friendly gesture that went along with the cheer and generosity of the holiday season.  A free ticket to a show that was supposed to be pretty spectacular? Why not? Attending a show with a colleague—who happened to be a man—did not mean that it was a date.

Besides, Dr. Chilton was by no means on the list of people Will would consider dating. Chilton was brash and arrogant, and Will assumed he was too in love with himself to be committed to anyone else. Even with that aside, Will was having enough trouble with his feelings towards Alana Bloom, and he didn’t think he even had time to date amidst meetings, lectures, and exceedingly confusing cases that seemed to pop up every other day.

Still, Will’s empathy picked up on tingles of excitement rushing through Chilton that didn’t come from mere anticipation. He knew that the psychiatrist was intrigued by him, but he had always pinpointed this interest on professional curiosity, not that different from what Dr. Lecter often showed towards him. However, now Will was harboring the small suspicion that Chilton might have more than just a colleague’s level of interest in him.

Despite these inklings that made him slightly uncomfortable, Will decided that a one night escape from work might be more beneficial than staring at piles of crime scene photos for hours on end. It was this image of freedom and contentment that made him agree.

On the aforementioned evening of the show, Will met Chilton outside the venue as agreed upon on the phone the day prior. This was just another factor in the “it’s-not-a-date” chorus that sang in the corners of Will’s mind. Will felt a lot better about it just being a social interaction at a show both could appreciate.

He had been waiting outside for ten minutes, shivering a bit in the cold despite the three layers he was wearing, when Chilton sauntered up to him. He was overdressed as usual, wearing a dark coat with velvet-lined lapels, his hair bearing an amount of hair gel that would light a barber’s nose on fire. The psychiatrist’s sharp features were tinged pink due to the cold, and he looked slightly flustered and a bit out of breath.

“Sorry,” he grumbled as he approached Will. “I had to park four blocks away, the damned lot was closed…” his voice trailed off. “Never mind that, I’m here now. Nice to see you, Will.”

“You too, Dr. Chilton,” Will replied formally, dipping his head.

“You can call me Frederick, you know,” the man told him, the corner of his mouth creeping upward in the beginnings of a smile. “I do happen to have a life outside of my office, as you can see.”

Will nodded, still feeling awkward. He kept his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, hoping he didn’t outwardly look as antisocial as he was attempting to be.

“You look nice,” the psychiatrist noted, tilting his head a bit as he studied Will’s sweater. “You’ve got a thing for layers, I see.”

“Sweater looked better with a collar,” Will mumbled, wishing the other man would stop talking and start walking inside. At least during the show, they wouldn’t be able to talk. He was finding Frederick Chilton even more annoying outside of his workspace, something he did not think was possible. To make matters worse, he was also pretty sure he had just paid him an aesthetically based compliment that did not help convince Will that this was indeed not a date.

“Do you want to go in?” Frederick asked, gesturing to the door. Will resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he nodded, falling into line behind the older man.

Will had never been inside the venue before, since he had not often come to the city prior to his weekly visits with Dr. Lecter. It was large, a transformed hockey rink, and Will felt more than a bit overwhelmed. He was not much for socialization, and the amount of people mulling about made his head swim. He grimaced as a child slammed into him while running past without even so much as an apologetic grin. Will found himself wishing for the evening to be over not even a minute into his presence inside the building.

Frederick continued to flap his gums as they strolled the venue’s interior, telling Will all about how he had been going to this particular show every time it came to town for over twenty years. To be honest, Will did not care, and he was only half-listening. He didn’t feel bad, however, because he was pretty confident that Chilton loved the sound of his own voice enough to keep himself occupied.

What Will did pay attention to, however, was the slight falter in Frederick’s voice when he told Will just how he had come to have an extra ticket that very night.

“I’ve never even met my niece,” Frederick explained, sounding both bitter and resentful. “She’ll be nine in a few weeks. How sad is that? I get to be the mysterious, mystical uncle who doesn’t get to see his sister’s kids grow up.”

Will avoided the man’s eyes. He never cared to talk about family, having no positive stories of his own, but he did feel a pang of sympathy for Chilton for the first time in his life. He was starting to realize possible driving causes that made him the way he was. For several instances, he could picture a twenty-years-younger Frederick Chilton, moving back home after dropping out of medical school only to be told he wasn’t welcome anymore due to his failure, and his younger sister siding with their parents because it was the easiest thing to do. Will imagined that this could be the stem of Chilton’s apprehension towards everything and obsession with himself. Will tried to suppress his growing sympathy, not wanting to open himself to the psychiatrist, but he couldn’t help himself.

“And you, Will?” Chilton asked, for once extending himself beyond his own mind. “You live alone?”

“I have dogs,” Will told him. “I take in strays.”

As Will talked, he noticed features in Chilton’s face that made him more tolerable by the second. His smile was genuine, his lips opening wide instead of curling like he had seem them do before. His green eyes twinkled, accenting his face in a pleasant way.

The show was due to begin in a half hour, so the two made the way to their seats. Will was stumbling behind Chilton, falling onto his feet and grumbling apologies every ten seconds. When they finally sat down, the spacing was such that Chilton’s leg fell against Will’s. Despite this proximity, neither man shifted.

By the time the show started, Will realized that he had stopped worrying about whether they looked like a couple. He also noticed that he was quite enjoying the brush of Chilton’s knee against his.

He didn’t dwell on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be many more happenings in the next (and final) chapter!


	3. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay, but I hope this makes up for it!

For the first time in his life, Frederick Chilton was not completely invested in and focused on the spectacle on ice playing out before him. As brilliant and mesmerizing as the performance was, Frederick found his eyes glazing over and his thoughts travelling to some desperate ruin of a place where the soft touch of Will’s leg against his was more than the product of close proximity and cramped seats.

Despite Frederick’s massive ego and crushing self-pride, he did not suspect that Will was actually harboring any feelings for him in the way that Frederick secretly hoped for. He could practically feel Will’s annoyance and indifference settle in the air between them when they talked. Even so, he couldn’t help but let his imagination get the better of him.

Frederick let his mind wander to a universe where Will would get turned on by the simple brush of clothed knee against his, where Will wouldn’t mind holding hands despite their public appearance, where Will would let Frederick kiss him up against the wall outside the venue, their hot breaths mixing together in the chilly air.

Of course, he did not voice these thoughts, did not even let his body language reveal what he was imagining. He remained cool and collected, his breath steady as he continued to sneak glances at Will out of the corner of his eye. Frederick had to force himself to stop imagining how Will would cradle his hands around Frederick’s back as they kissed. He knew that Will was uncomfortable being out in public with him as it was, and besides, he didn’t even know if Will was interested in men. Reluctantly, Frederick tried to force himself to pay attention to the show.

At least Will seemed to be enjoying himself. Frederick could allow himself to feel a bit of elation over that fact, especially since he hadn’t expected Will to attend in the first place.

Once, in the middle of the show, when Will adjusted his leg a bit, Frederick could have sworn that Will moved his knee against his in a teasing manner. The brush seemed too deliberate yet delicate to be an accident, but neither man spoke nor made any attempts to move. Frederick stiffened a bit involuntarily, not daring to believe it had been on purpose. He clenched his jaw and remained still, staring intently at the other side of the stadium. His heart was pounding very hard.

When the show was over, both men remained quiet after several minutes of clapping. They stayed together amidst the crowds attempting to exit, and when they finally emerged into crisp winter air, it was Frederick who spoke up.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” he offered.

“That’s really not necessary, Frederick,” Will told him, avoiding his eyes.

“No, please, I insist,” Frederick urged. “Remember, I parked several blocks away. I’m not ready to meander over there yet.”

Will nodded and gave a little shrug. The two of them walked with several feet separating them. An awkward air of silence fell over them again.

When Will stopped outside his car in the parking garage, he turned to Frederick and extended his hand.

“Thank you for inviting me,” he recited politely, sounding like a child thanking a parent for the mandatory invitation to a classmate’s birthday party.

“Of course,” Frederick bit back a smile. “I am glad you came.”

“Me too.”

And with that, Will was getting in his car, and Frederick had started walking away, his mind swimming with thoughts a mix between contentment and resentment.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of an engine starting and failing, and heard Will yell “shit!” from inside his car. The car door slammed, and Will got out, cursing under his breath. Frederick turned around, tilting his head.

“Damned thing, it does this about once a month. Have the Triple A guy on fucking speed dial,” Will muttered, pressing the phone to his ear. “Hello, Frank? Engine’s busted again. Yeah, I know. I’m at the stadium in Baltimore. Sort of far, I know. You want to come take a look? Okay, sure. Thanks," Will hung up and turned his eyes to Frederick. "Boat motors I can fix in my sleep. Cars, not so much. The guy'll be here in a half hour to take it into the shop. You can go on home if you want."

"Nonsense," Frederick shook his head. "I'll wait with you and then drive you home."

"I can take a taxi," Will insisted. "I live in Wolf Trap. It's an hour away."

"Exactly," Frederick countered. "Spending money on a taxi that must go out of its county to deliver you home, or spending an hour more with me? I know both sound pretty abhorrent, but-"

Will held up a hand. "Frederick, it's fine. I appreciate the offer. I'll go with you."

Will leaned on the back of his car, mist emitting from his mouth with every breath he took. His hair was tousled, and Frederick had to fight not to noticeably stare at him. 

"Nice to get away from work, isn't it?" Frederick asked in an attempt to make conversation. 

"Always is," Will agreed. "It can get overwhelming."

"I imagine," Frederick noted. The two were silent again for several moments until the psychiatrist spoke again. "Jack Crawford seems very keen to push you over the edge."

"Thought it was your life's goal to study my empathy," Will raised an eyebrow. 

Frederick twitched a bit. "I'm intrigued, yes. I have not ever come across someone as special as you in my line of study, Will. But I value you as a person, too. I hope you know that."

Will smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, whether sarcastically or not Frederick couldn't tell. 

After Will's car was successfully retrieved from the parking garage and taken to an auto repair shop, Frederick and Will walked the four blocks to Chilton's car parked on the side of a narrow road. 

"Destination: Wolf Trap," Frederick announced as he slid into the driver's seat. He could swear that he heard Will let out a little chuckle as he launched the little red car into motion, but he tried not to think about it. 

The car radio was tuned to a station that played tranquil and wordless violin music. It filled the drive nicely, filling the silence between them so neither man had to make small talk. 

Frederick thought that Will was becoming more comfortable with him, but he didn't want to force him to talk if he preferred keeping his mouth shut. Frederick didn't mind either way. 

The drive was long, but there wasn't much traffic and they arrived in Will's driveway after just over an hour. 

Frederick was expecting to back out and head home immediately, but he was interrupted by a quiet "would you like to come in?" spoken by Will as he moved to exit the car. 

"Sure," Frederick replied, more than vaguely surprised. He followed Will up the driveway, onto the porch, and into the house where he was instantly swarmed by a horde of dogs. 

"Winston, down!" Will snapped his fingers at a long-haired, caramel-colored dog who had been pawing insistently at Frederick's pants. "Just keep walking," he advised. "They'll get used to you soon enough."

Frederick followed Will into the living room, where he sat down next to him on a couch. One of the dogs immediately hopped up, nuzzling its head into Frederick's arm. 

"Buster," Will warned. He pulled the dog closer to him, scratching him under the chin.

"Never a lonely moment, huh," Frederick observed, looking at Will's family of refugees. 

"Not a chance," Will responded, an actual genuine smile creeping over his features. 

Frederick felt his heart flutter in his chest. "Will, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Will nodded. Buster barked at thin air and jumped down off the couch, running into the other room, trailed by the rest of the dogs. 

"During the show...were you worried people would think we were a couple?" Frederick initially meant to ask about the leg brushing, but he figured this would be a better place to start. 

Will sighed. "I don't know. I don't really care what people think, honestly. I'm used to being scrutinized."

It was a dance around the question. Frederick couldn't decide if that was a good sign or not. He adjusted himself on the couch so he was closed to Will, peering into the empath's blue eyes. 

"Will," he started, having no words for follow-up for once in his life. Will simply left him speechless. Too quickly to know what he was doing or to stop himself, Frederick leaned forward and pressed his lips to Will's. 

The psychiatrist felt the other man stiffen under him, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he stayed very still for the few seconds until Frederick pulled back. 

"I'm sorry," Frederick started, his voice barely above a whisper. Will's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open slightly. Slowly, his hand moved on top of Frederick's and this time it was Will who leaned forward and kissed Frederick. 

Frederick reached a hand to tangle in the curls framing Will's head, his lips soft but powerful against the empath's. 

When they pulled back, both men were breathing hard. 

"Well," Frederick began. "Um, wow."

"I'll drink to that," Will chuckled, raising an imaginary glass and clinking his fist against Frederick's hand. "One thing, though, Frederick."

"Yes?"

"You'd better not only be trying to get into my pants as a way to get into my brain."

"I would never," Frederick told him. "My interests regarding both subjects are entirely unrelated."

"Then, Dr. Chilton, I believe we have an agreement," Will decided. 

"I think we do," Frederick let a small smile command his face before kissing Will again, this time cupping his face in his hands, surer that nothing else on earth could ever come to match the strength, power, and infatuation that was overtaking his body and dominating his senses. They were all focused on Will, and nothing mattered to Frederick Chilton now but the empath himself. 

 


End file.
